El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele proposed a prisoner exchange with Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. Bukele offered to return 252 Venezuelans deported from the US and imprisoned in El Salvador in exchange for the release of an equal number of Venezuelan political prisoners.
Bukele's proposal, made via social media, specifies the return of all 252 Venezuelans currently detained in El Salvador. These individuals were deported from the US under the 1798 Alien Enemies Act, accused of gang affiliations. Bukele named several specific individuals he considers political prisoners, including Rafael Tudares, Roland Carreño, and RocÃo San Miguel.
The US deportation actions have faced legal challenges. The Supreme Court recently suspended the deportation of Venezuelan migrants from Texas to El Salvador and ordered the facilitation of the return of a Salvadoran migrant deported due to an administrative error. Bukele's close alignment with the Trump administration's anti-immigration policies is highlighted, with Bukele characterizing the return of deported individuals as 'absurd'.
Bukele's proposal underscores the complex interplay between US immigration policy, the political situations in El Salvador and Venezuela, and the ongoing human rights concerns related to political imprisonment in Venezuela. The exchange proposal itself represents an unusual diplomatic maneuver, raising questions about its feasibility and potential implications.